Golden Gaze EOTD

Eyes:

MAC Golden Gaze Mineralize eye shadow as lid color

MAC Hocus Pocus eye shadow in crease

Urban Decay Virgin as highlight

Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner in Perversion

Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on liner in Perversion

Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on liner in Lucky

Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV

So I finally caved and bought the Book Of Shadows IV, which I’m glad I waited since they brought the price down from $64 to $44, the one thing that drives me crazy is the overdone packing with the Book of Shadows while they always do a good job of making the packaging unique and pretty I find it all a bit too gimmicky which for me personally is a turn off, I really wish they would make them a bit more simple like their naked palettes, plus the whole speaker for you phone I could have done without.

But I’m really glad I picked it up since there’s quite a few unique shadows that I’ve been wanting to play with; my favorite two out of them all being Hijack and Crystal. There are a total of 16 shadows with 10 being brand new to Urban Decay; you also get a mini size primer potion in the new professional packing, mini super curling mascara as well as a full size 24/7 liquid liner also in the new packaging.

From left to right: Blue Bus, Gunmetal, Cobra, Baked

Blue Bus is a soft blue purple with a frost shimmer finish

Gunmetal is a gray charcoal with silver frost and shimmer

Cobra is a dark brown matte with fine green gold shimmer

Baked is frosty bright orange copper

From left to right: Bender, Gravity, Lost, Hijack

Bender is a darkened forest green with light frost and fine green gold shimmer

Gravity is a medium plum purple frost finish

Lost is a warm shimmery bronze brown with a frost finish

Hijack is a metallic teal with a silver frost shimmer finish

From left to right: Midnight Cowgirl, Sin, Midnight Rodeo, Crystal

Midnight Cowgirl is a warm pale peachy golden beige frost

Sin is a champagne pink shimmer frost

Midnight Rodeo is a rosy brown shimmer frost

Crystal is a pale bluish grey with silver frost and shimmer

From left to right: Bust, Missionary, Skimp, Zephyr

Bust is a soft satin taupe grayish brown with a frost finish

Missionary is a soft pink beige shimmer frost

Skimp is a peach beige satin with a light pearl sheen

Zephyr is a bright warm shimmery white with a golden sheen

Availability: www.urbandecay.com $44

Finger Paints Special Effects Flake Collection

From left to right: Twisted, Asylum, Motley, Flecked, Flashy

I have no idea how I didn’t know about this collection before but I’m glad I stopped by my local Sally’s earlier this week just on the offhand chance I might find some fun new polishes to pick up. As soon as I saw the Finger Paints display with flakey polishes I got really excited and ran over to grab one I actually thought they were all the same at first but at a second glance I noticed they were different and started inspecting them all so one my first trip I was only able to pick up 3 out of 5 shades since Twisted and Motley were sold out but luckily the girls at my Sally’s told me to come back on Thursday since that’s when their truck comes in so I went back and was able to pick up the other two for a complete set!

From left to right: Twisted, Asylum, Motley, Flecked, Flashy

Twisted is a clear base with a rainbow of flake colors from red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Asylum is a clear base with orange/red blue/purple flakes.

Motley is a clear base with blue/purple green flakes.  

Flecked is a clear base with bright green flakes.

Flashy is a clear base with orange/red yellow flakes.

These polishes are exclusive to Sally Beauty stores and limited edition I believe and are in store only which is definitely the biggest downside if you don’t happen to have a Sally Beauty store close by. But these polishes are really affordable at $4.99 each if you have a Sally’s card or $5.49 each without a Sally’s card.

I absolutely love these polishes the formula is great not too thin or thick and have a good dry time. Also there’s a ton of flakes that are large and show up really well, these would look good at just one coat but two coats is perfect which is what I swatched them at above. 

Zoya Polish Swatches (Purple)

Julieanne is a cool toned dark purple base with purple glitter throughout.

Mimi is a cool toned royal purple with purple and hints of blue glitter throughout.

Ki is a cool toned metallic multi-chromatic shade with flashes of silver, purple, blue and green.

Savita is a cool toned vibrant medium purple matte finish with red and gold shimmer

From left to right: Julieanne, Mimi, Ki, Savita, Savita with top coat

Availability: www.zoya.com $8 each

My 8 Makeup Essentials!

I decided it would be fun to share a few different types of items that I find absolutely essential and use on a daily basis

Lipblams/Chapstick

I have a huge obsession with just about any type of lipblams or chapsticks I love them and always have a ton in my purse and always seem to buy more than what I can use. The obsession definitely started when I was younger and I remember always getting packs of the Lip Smackers in my stocking for Christmas and I still love them, I also really like the Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret one, I especially like the MAC Lip Gelee’s but by far the Jack Black Lip Balms are the best hands down since they not only taste good, haha but they have SPF and do the best job of moisturizing for hours at the time. 

Eye Liner

A classic black shade is a necessity in my book and can be applied in many ways to define the eyes and also a white liner to help open the eyes and make them look more awake. I would also opt for a creamy eye liner that glides on well especially if you have sensitive eye a few of my favorites are Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Stingray, MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack and Urban Decay’s classic 24/7 liner in Zero as well as Urban Decays new Perversion 24/7 liner.

Although the biggest essential of mine is liquid liner, I don’t think I could survive without liquid liner since regular stick liners just don’t cut it for me when lining my eyes I need something that is going to be opaque and long lasting throughout the day and to be accurate since I always, always wing out my liner I just feel naked if it’s not winged so liquid liner is a must and Urban Decay’s liquid liner in perversion is my favorite product that I will buy for the rest of my life.

Foundation

Foundation is definitely important just to help even out your skin tone or any discoloration and you don’t need to slather it all over your face leaving you with cake face just enough to for a good all over even finish. There’s a ton to choose from when searching for your perfect foundation such as oil free, moisturizing, full coverage, tinted moisturizers, etc the list goes on so when searching for a good foundation make sure to keep your receipts that way if it doesn’t work return and try again.

Setting

Also important especially if you happen to have oily skin since a quick light dusting of setting powder whether this is translucent or one to match your skin as this will help set your makeup and help to control shine throughout the day.

Primer

I feel like this helps set the foundation of your skin for everything, I use to never use a primer but a few years ago when I started using one I immediately noticed the difference especially in how much better my foundation applied over a smooth base and lasted longer throughout the day.

Concealers

I feel like having a good concealer or even multiple ones to be an ultimate everyday part of my makeup routine so you definitely want to pick a creamy formula that works for you to help hide possible under eye circles, blemishes, so I like to apply it under my eyes, bridge of my nose, and my chin.

Mascara

I never go anywhere without my mascara, since mascara is one of the best ways to define your eyes and enhance your lashes. So I always curl my lashes and apply about two coats of mascara.

Brushes

A good makeup brush can definitely make a difference in your makeup, the little sponge applicators that come with drugstore palettes just doesn’t compare, but over the years I have become fairly good at using them if absolutely needed. So if you’re just starting out Craft Store brushes at your local Art & Hobby stores are good cheap starters such as Lowe Cornell brushes, but in the long run it’s best to invest, MAC Cosmetics makes great brushes and of course Sigma, I absolutely love their brushes especially for the fact you can purchase different styles and types of brush sets that are affordable and great quality.  

So what are some of your makeup essentials or favorite items you couldn’t live without?

New Flats for 2012

Hayden Glitter Scrunched Ballet Flat 

I love glitter and sparkly items so when I got an email from Sole Society awhile ago and I opened it up to find these gorgeous flats I had to order them right away. Sole Society has great flats, these fit great and are true to size plus they feel comfy and look really cute on.

Sole Society is definitely one of my new favorite deal sites since they have a great monthly selection plus I really like that shipping is free which makes for a good incentive to buy at least for me since sometimes shipping prices can put me off from ordering online.

Availability: www.solesociety.com $49.95

Purple/Teal EOTD

Eyes:

Sugarpill Darling loose eyeshadow

Sugarpill Weekender loose eyeshadow

Sugarpill Lumi loose eyeshadow

Sugarpill Poison Plum pressed eyeshadow

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner in perversion

Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in perversion

Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil in flipside

Zoya Polish Swatches (Pink)

Lolly is a medium magenta pink cream with a matte finish.

Ali is a warm toned warm medium neon pink cream.

Lola is a cool toned bright fuchsia pink shimmer with blue-violet duo-chrome shimmer.

Gilda is a cool toned sparkling metallic pink.

Nova is a cool toned royal fuchsia purple tinted base packed with dark and light pink glitter.

Availability: www.zoya.com $8 each

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Review

I’ve heard really good things so far about Maybelline’s new Instant Age Rewind line lately, so when I was at the drugstore awhile ago l decided to pick up a few items and give them a go.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser

The Eraser Treatment has a plush microfiber sponge applicator, so to dispense the product you have to twist the collar to the left which when you do clicks, it took a little over ten clicks at first to get the product flow working but after that using just one to two clicks will dispense a good amount of product.

As far as the packaging goes I actually really like it since the sponge applicator is really soft and you could use it to apply all over without using a brush I find it does a good job of blending the product into the skin as long as you’re not using too much product, although I do prefer using my Sigma F82 Round Kabuki. What is also nice is the fact you can see how much product you have left as you use it and the pump applicator pushes the product up as you use it so you don’t have to worry about wasting any product as the pump gets down to the bottom. Also if you are on the fence about this product because of the sponge applicator for sanitary reasons, you can remove the sponge to clean it.

The formula is nice as well since it’s not drying, I find it feels very light on and leaves my skin feeling soft. It also evens my skin out and reduces the appearance of redness; it also wears well lasting up to 12 hours. The coverage is light to medium and is also moisturizing which is good if you tend to have dry skin or dry patches, while this foundation is not going to provide a true full coverage, I feel it does help blur and hide imperfections.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles

The packing for the Eraser Dark Circles concealer is the same as the foundation with the plush microfiber sponge applicator. The formula is pretty thin for a concealer but the coverage is amazing and looks very natural and the best part is no creasing which is often a problem I encounter with other concealers as they tend to leave the under eye looking dry or cakey. The texture is soft and creamy and blends easily and a little goes a long way so you don’t need too much product. I also find it good for covering blemishes and along the side of the nose to hide redness.   

Overall I would definitely recommend checking out the Age Rewind line from Maybelline as it’s priced considerately and works exceptionally well not to mention the availability factor as you can pick it up from just about any drugstore; CVS, Walgreens, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

Where to buy online: www.ulta.com $8-12

Zoya Polish Swatches (Blue)

Robyn is a cool toned bright medium sky blue cream.

Phoebe is a bright azure matte with slight blue shimmer.

Crystal is a cool toned silvered shiny blue metallic foil.

Kotori is a cool toned dense bright blue shimmer with a sheer black base.

Charla is a cool toned blue turquoise base with sparkly sliver, blue, and green glitter with a metallic finish.

Availability: www.zoya.com $8 each

Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Palette Review/Swatches

The packaging alone made me fall in love with this palette from the metallic rainbow gradient that makes up the embossed name across it. The palette itself is metal with metal hinges which open all the way and because of the springs it opens a bit too fast so you may need to be more careful when opening this palette, there is also a metal clasp used to open and close the palette so one negative aspect would be if your claps breaks you won’t be able to get your palette to close without tapping it down or wrapping a rubber band around it because of the springs. You also get a full size mirror as well as mini sized Autograph pencil eyeliner in Wonderchild.

From left to right; 

Swan Song, Marya, No Regrets, Drama For Yo Momma, Mad Max, Dublin, Sparklehorse, Altruism.

Wonderchild Liner, Swan Song, Marya, No Regrets, Drama For Yo Momma

Mad Max, Dublin, Sparklehorse, Altruism

Eyeliner in Wonderchild (medium navy blue with blue sparkle)

Swan Song (iridescent pearl with pink duo-chrome)

Marya (shimmery pearl soft pink)

No Regrets (pastel pink sparkle)

Dramma For Yo Mamma (iridescent purple)

Mad Max (matte pastel sky blue)

Dublin (shimmery pastel kelly green)

Sparklehorse (shimmery gold)

Altruism (shimmery vanilla)

All of these shades are a bit lighter and more pastel than what you’d probably expect from the packing and the fact that Sephora calls them bright/80’s neon colors regardless all eight shades are beautiful with Swan Song being one of my favorites since this color has a really beautiful light pink duo-chrome effect, and I also love Dublin since it’s a great Kelly green color with tiny flecks of darker green shimmer throughout. These all have good pigmentation with the exception of Drama For Yo Mama which I found to be the most sheer when swatching, I would definitely recommend wearing these over a primer or base to get the most out of each shadow.

Availbility: www.sephora.com $34.00

Kat Von D High Voltage Lacquer Review/Swatches

From left to right: No Regrets, Wonderchild, Mad Max

I was really excited to see that Kat Von D has added nail polishes to her Sephora line so I definitely wanted to try them out, I actually purchased these blind not really knowing much about them as I couldn’t find a lot of information or swatches for them but I did know the bottles were smaller so while $12 a bottle seemed a bit pricey I still wanted to give them a try. I only picked up 3 out of the four shades available, so I got No Regrets, Wonderchild and Mad Max the other shade is Sparklehorse which is a bright shimmery yellow, also all four shades are also limited edition.

No Regrets is a bright pink fuchsia with iridescent shimmer throughout, there is a very slight duo-chrome effect that flashes different shades of pink.

Wonderchild is a dark toned purple with iridescent shimmer throughout, this one has the most duo-chrome out of the three that flashes different shades of blue-purple tones, and light red purple tones.

Mad Max is a medium blue/turquoise with iridescent shimmer throughout, this one has a slight duo-chrome effect that flashes different shades of pink and purple.

Overall I really like all three of them with Wonderchild being my favorite out of the three and I actually really enjoy Mad Max and I usually don’t like blue polishes at all mainly because where I work has made me hate the color blue, haha but Mad Max is really nice especially with the light pink and purple flashes. The formula on these are good although I personally thought they were a little on the sheer side but easy to build up for an opaque coverage in 3-4 coats although I could still see my nail underneath in direct light. Otherwise they all applied smooth and dried fast, they definitely do not have that much of a duo-chrome effect as some of the promo pictures on Sephora’s site shows so they’re not as unique as they seem but they’re still really good polishes.

The biggest downside is the fact that these bottles are so small (0.25fl) and they retail for $12 each which I personally think it a bit ridiculous especially when these polishes are not necessary that unique to help counter the price tag so if the bottle size was a bit bigger than the price would not be that much of a concern. But all in all it’s still a great product besides the lack of opacity, not a true duo-chrome finish and bottle size.

Availability: www.sephora.com $12 each.

Urban Decay Blues

Eyes:

Urban Decay Peace Deluxe eyeshadow for inner lid

Urban Decay Adore Deluxe eyeshadow for center lid

Urban Decay Half Truth eyeshadow as crease and liner

Urban Decay Virgin eyeshadow as highlight

Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner in Perversion

Stila Smudge Stick waterproof eye liner in Stingray

Urban Decay Electric 24/7 Travel-Size Set of 5 Review & Swatches

I absolutely love Urban Decays liners they are definitively some of my all time favorites so I’ve been meaning to pick this set up for awhile now mainly because of the new Perversion liner since I’ve heard great things about it plus I didn’t have any other shades in this set besides Ransom and mine is about half way done so now I have a back up.

I really love when Urban Decay does these types of travel size sets with their liners since it’s a great way to pick up new shades at a cheaper cost versus the full size price and for me the mini’s last me quite awhile even with daily use. This is one of the two sets currently available; the other is an all natural set both sets are really a great deal since a full size liner retails $18 and this set retails for $32 each which makes the liners comes out to $6.40 each.

From left to right; Perversion, Ransom, Woodstock, Radium, Junkie

Perversion – blackest black matte

Ransom - bright iridescent purple

Woodstock – sparkly hot pink with silver-micro glitter

Radium – bright shimmery blue

Junkie – bright green with gold sparkle

The formula on these are great they’re creamy enough making application easy to where they glide across the lash line effortlessly, they all have great pigmentation and wear really well and for me last all day.  

Availability: www.urbandecay.com $32