Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Day to Night FOTD: Iridescent Smokey Eye

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and perhaps enjoying better weather conditions (it is insanely windy here in North California!). I wanted to play around with some of my indie makeup, so I created a day look which I later transformed into a darker night-time look. Stick around if you want to see the transition :D

                                                                              Day Look                                                                    
This day look is by no means a neutral or conservative look. This is still quite bright and dramatic for some people! But I really love wearing dramatic eyeshadows and I like to wear them during the day. But notice that the rest of my makeup is very neutral and so the eye makeup is not too overwhelming. Of course, you can wear whatever you like whenever you like. Don't let the day/night makeup "rules" stop you!

Monday, April 29, 2013

FOTD: Sand, Seaweed, and Sunshine (Ft. Glamour Doll Eyes)

Greetings from the Dark Side~

Summer is basically already here! It has been really hot in North California, and I have been inspired to do my eyeshadow with greens, yellows, and oranges. Today, I used GDE eyeshadows to create this green and yellow look that reminds me of the beach~ I toned down the rest of my makeup so that the eyes would be the main focus.



Products Used

-Lime Crime Eyeshadow Helper
-Glamour Doll Eyes 'Mighty Maiden', 'Fiji Mermaid', 'Dazzle Me', and 'Electric Lemonade' eyeshadows
-Milani Liquif'Eye eyeliner
-YSL Faux Cils mascara
-MAC Pro Longwear concealer
-Maybelline blush in 'Golden Fuse'



Thanks for reading~ See you all next time!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo 'Waves of White'

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Now that the new Summer 2013 Color Tattoos are arriving at most drusgtores, it seems the perfect time to finish up reviewing the remaining shades. This next shade is called 'Waves of White', a pretty sheer white with a multi-colored shift. If you are interested in this shade, then keep reading~


Thursday, April 25, 2013

FOTD: Purple and Orange (Ft. Glamour Doll Eyes)

Greetings my lovelies ♥

If you took a look at my makeup collection, you might notice that I own way too many purple eyeshadows and lipsticks, as well as orange lipsticks. Purple and orange just seem to be my favorite colors when it comes to makeup. I thought it would be interesting to do a look and used both these colors and see how it would turn out! You can see the result for yourself~


Products Used
 
-Glamour Doll Eyes 'Picture Whore' (lid), 'Typical Girl' (crease), and 'Infectious' (lower lash line)
-L'oreal Lineur Intense liquid liner
-Milani Liquif'Eye black pencil eyeliner
-YSL Faux Cils mascara
 -Lioele Super Gold Snail BB Cream
-Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro #401 



What do you think? Is this a color combo you would try out, or is it too much for your preference?

Project No-Buy Conclusion

Hello my beautiful readers!

If you have followed my Project No-Buy, then you know it has been 15 weeks since I started it. It was not so much a No Buy, but instead a low-buy. I wanted to try this out to try and lower the amount of money I am spending on makeup while trying to stick to my New Year resolutions. This was such a great experience, and I am so glad I tried it out. I know many of you guys went ahead and started this too, and that makes me so happy! 

After doing this for 15 weeks, there is a couple of things I have noticed about my spending habits:

1. I spend most of my money on drugstore makeup.
This is not bad, but it is astonishing. I have this mind set that because drugstore makeup is cheaper, I can buy a lot and not spend too much. This is so not true. Even if they are cheaper than high end items, the prices accumulate and I end up spending $50-$100 every time I go to the drugstore. This happens often because I constantly check drusgtores for limited edition collections. 
Fix: Only go to the drugstore to search for limited edition items I really, really want and don't buy something because it's "cheap". Avoid trips to the drugstore or to cosmetic aisles.

2. I tend to buy items, not because I wanted to try them out, but because I want to review them on my blog.
This is great, but I do this very often. I have to stop doing this because it makes me spend more money than I have to. And, more often than not, I don't end up reviewing the product anyways and it  becomes a waste of money.
Fix: Because I'm a blogger I will always have this tendency, but I should focus more on products that I really want. If the thought "these would be great to review on my blog" comes to me before "this product would look so great on me" (o something like that), I should probably not buy the product.

3. Around 75% of my makeup purchases are impulsive buys.
Most of the things I buy are impulsive buys, or in other words, last-minute irrational purchases. Most of these purchases I tend to regret. I am learning to do my research before investing the money on products (especially the more expensive ones). 
Fix: Look for swatches or reviews of that product and then really think about whether I really need or want it.


Cutting down the amount of spending I do has been hard, and it will still be hard in the future. But I know that I can give myself challenges in order to "earn" the right to spend money on makeup. This is what I have been doing these 15 weeks; awarding myself a budget for makeup according to how many goals I achieve. This is something that I will be sticking to because it has actually worked. I'd say my spending has been cut down at least 40% these past 15 weeks. I don't think I could cut down my spending completely, but 40% is a good start! I will do some updates in the weeks to come to just talk about the long-term effects of this low-buy. I hope these habits will stick and that I can slowly decrease the amount I spend! 

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did~! And for those of you who are currently doing this challenge, I wish you luck!


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo 'Lavish Lavender'

Greetings from the Dark Side~!

Sorry for being MIA for the past days. My internet has not worked at all! But I am finally back with the second review for the Maybelline Color Tattoos, and this time I am reviewing the shade 'Lavish Lavender'. Initially, I was not wowed by this color, but perhaps my mind has changed! Keep reading for more ;)


Saturday, April 20, 2013

MAC Haul: Hayley Williams Collection

Greetings from the Dark Side!

MAC recently collaborated with Hayley Williams, singer of the band Paramore, to create a four-item collection. All the items are in the collection are orange (except for the MSF). I love orange lipsticks, eyeshadows, and nail polishes so I was really intrigued by this collection. I am not a fan of Paramore, but if you are this might be a really awesome collection for you!

1. Sounds Like Noise Lipstick ($15)
This was the item I wanted the most out of this collection. I own plenty of orange lipsticks, but I have been looking for a true orange lipstick that does not have any red or pink undertones. This definitely is ORANGE. It does not have any red undertones, yay! It is also has a matte formula, which I actually do not like because it makes the lipstick dry. I wish the formula would have been more like the matte formula of the MAC 'Ronnie Red' (Ronnie Red has an amazing matte formula). I do really love the color though, so I will deal with the dryness by making sure my lips are exfoliated and moisturized.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Review: Maybelline Color Tattoo 'Seashore Frosts'

Greetings from the Dark Side~!

The new Maybelline Summer 2013 collection brings many new shades into the Color Tattoo range. It seems that the color 'Seashore Frosts' has been all the rage so I decided to go ahead and review this Color Tattoo first!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Music Tag

Greetings from the Dark Side~ 

Katie from Oh To Feel Pretty posted the Music Tag a few days ago and tagged me. I absolutely love music and it is such a huge part of my life so I am really excited to do this ♥


Monday, April 15, 2013

Diablo III Series: Barbarian

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Are you ready to see the last look for the Diablo 3 classes? This last one is inspired by the Barbarian class, the "savage wanderers who never flinch from close-quarter combat" (http://us.battle.net). The colors I used to represent the Barabrian are grey/silver/black (for their armor and weapons), tan-brown (skin and background), and red (color of the background and for the rage that fills the barbarians). 

Not my image. From us.battle.net

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Project No Buy Update: Week 14

Greetings from the Dark Side!
And welcome to the round up for Week 14 of my No-Buy!
 
Week 14 (April 8-April 14) was tough because I encountered a certain limited edition display of Color Tattoos, which I absolutely love. To see how I did this week, keep reading~!


If you are new to my No-Buy, please check out my past posts:
-Week 4 Round Up 
-Week 5 Round Up
-Week 6 Roundup
-Week 7 Round Up
-Week 8 Round Up 
-Week 9 Round Up 
-Week 10 Round Up 
-Week 11 Round Up
-Week 12 Round Up
-Week 13 Round Up

Blog Love: Oh To Feel Pretty & Simple Beauty

Greetings from the Dark Side and welcome to another Blog Love post ♥
Today, I want to share with you two awesome beauty blogs, and two beautiful and sweet bloggers.


The first blog I want to give a huge shout out to is Oh To Feel Pretty. I have not been following Katie (the writer for this blog) for a long time but I already feel like I know her. Maybe it is because we have very similar characteristics, but I can really relate to her blog posts! It is really interesting to read another blog and just be amazed at how much you can have in common with another person. Katie has really great geeky makeup looks that I absolute love (if you are a My Little Pony fan you must check out her MLP makeup looks!)! Definitely check out her blog and show her some love!



The other blog I wanted to share with all of you is one that I have been following for some time now, Simple Beauty. Like with Katie from Oh To Feel Pretty, I also feel connected with the writer of Simple Beauty, Taylor. We like similar brands of makeup (particularly indie brands) and she also likes a lot of the same geeky things that I like. She has a lot of reviews for indie nail polishes, which I really appreciate because I have been trying to get more into indie nail polishes. She recently started a Game of Thrones makeup series, so if you are a GoT fan definitely check those posts out!





Saturday, April 13, 2013

Empties #6

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Here are some empties from the past three weeks. I have kept all the empty containers, but I really want to throw them out now! But before that, I want to show you what I have used up and what I think of these products now that I am finished with them :D

1. Clear Total Care Conditioner
I LOVE this brand of hair care! I have already purchased numerous bottles of the shampoo and conditioner and I am not switching any time soon. I have noticed a huge difference in my hair since I started using this brand. I love it so much! I will definitely be repurchasing!
2. Batiste Dry Shampoo in 'Blush'
I have owned this stuff for ages, and it is hands down the best dry shampoo I have tried (granted, I have only tried 2 or 3 others). It is affordable and it works. I actually already repurchased it it the scent 'Cherry'.

FOTD: She Sells Sea Shells on the Sea Shore

Hello my darlings!

I've been so busy lately, and it has been difficult to remember to take photos of my daily makeup. However, I did remember today! I tried to do something simple that was still a bit bright and fun! Keep reading if you want to know what products I used for this look :)


Thursday, April 11, 2013

First Impression: Maybelline Summer 2013 Color Tattoo Eyeshadows

Greetings!

I am super excited to share swatches for the new Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow from the Summer 2013 collection. I am a huge fan of these eyeshadows and I own every single Color Tattoo released in the US. As you might expect, I was psyched to hear that there was new colors. However, these seem to be releasing at Bed, Bath, and Beyond stores first. I had to travel an hour away to the closest BB&B that carries cosmetics in order to find these! There are six new shades (limited edition shades I presume), all of which are frosty and beach-themed.





                                                                      First Impression                                                                
I have not used these on my eye lids yet, but from swatching them, I have a good idea of how they compare to other Color Tattoos. Firstly, these are all quite frosty and cool-toned. It is very different from what I was expecting summer inspired colors to look like. But they are inspired by the cool tones of the ocean and beach, so the colors kind of make sense. Secondly, these are all generally less pigmented that some of the other Color Tattoos. Icy Mint and Shady Shores in particular were sheer. The last major difference is that some of these are duochromatic colors (Seashore Frosts, Cool Crush,  Waves of White, and Shady Shores). It is an interesting difference!

Overall, I am like the new colors, but I don't love all of them. I am particularly loving Seashore Frosts (blue-gold-pink combo) and Cool Crush (light lavender-green-turquoise) because they are the most pigmented and the most unique to my collection. Icy Mint was the hugest let down. I was really looking froward to owning a minty green Color Tattoo; however, this one is definitely more of a light sage green and it is really sheer and patchy. Shady Shores is a cool and unique color (yellow-gold with a green duochrome) but it also looks really weird on my skin tone. Waves of White is a nice white with a blue duochrome (yet the blue duochrome changes to green and purple is some lighting). I can see this working really well as a base color for many different eyeshadows! Lastly, there is Lavish Lavender. This one is a nicely pigmented deep lavender. I am not sure how much I like the actual color, but I will have to try it on my eye lids to see how it looks on.

If you want to try these out, go to your nearest BB&B (one that has a cosmetics section) and pick these up! Each display only has two of each color D:< I basically bought half of the display myself.



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

HARE Polish 'Electric Flame'

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Since it is spring, I have been using my orange nail polishes rather often. One particular shade I really like is HARE Polish's 'Electric Flame' nail polish. It is a really unique twist of an orange nail polish.


Monday, April 8, 2013

Project No Buy Update: Week 13

Greetings from the Dark Side!
And welcome to the round up for Week 13 of my No-Buy!
 
Week 13 (April 1-April 7) has been a challenging week! I was very tempted to buy a lot of things. I did buy a few things so hopefully I did not exceed my budget! Keep reading for more.


If you are new to my No-Buy, please check out my past posts:
-Week 4 Round Up 
-Week 5 Round Up
-Week 6 Roundup
-Week 7 Round Up
-Week 8 Round Up 
-Week 9 Round Up 
-Week 10 Round Up 
-Week 11 Round Up
-Week 12 Round Up

Friday, April 5, 2013

March Hits and Misses


Greetings from the Dark Side!

I haven't posted any of my monthly favorites in a while, but I actually had a lot of favorites this past month. I've tried a lot of products recently, but the products below have been real standouts for me. I also have three complete misses! Keep reading if you want to know about the HITS and the MISSES.

                                                    HITS                                               

1. Hard Candy "CC" Correction Cream (Fair)
I already posted a First Impression post for this product, but I just want to just say how awesome this stuff is. I really wish Hard Candy had a better color selection because I know that the shade range has been a huge problem for most people. However, the actual product is marvelous. It is a decently pigmented, natural-looking "foundation" that is perfect for everyday wear. It looks so natural that it is like a second skin. I have been alternating this with my Lioele Super Gold Snail BB cream. I usually use the CC cream for school or days when I want a very light makeup look.

2. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NC20)
Because the Hard Candy CC cream is very lightweight, sometimes a need a little more coverage for any stubborn scars or pimples. I love this stuff because it is really pigmented and it stays on all day. It is by far the best concealer I have used to date.

3.Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser (Neutralizer)
I've had this concealer for a while, and as you can see I have already used up more than half. I don't have particularly bad dark circles, but I like my undereye area to look bright (especially on the days I don't get much sleep). This stuff is really amazing; it conceals and brightens. I suggest you get the Neutralizer shade. It is the best one, IMO.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

FOTD: Nude Awakening + Red Lips

Greetings darlings~

Here is the look I wore today! Since it was a cloudy, rainy day I wanted to wear something more dramatic and less spring-inspired.  I created the eye look using the Wet n Wild 'Nude Awakening' palette and  the red lips using MAC's Ronnie Red lippie! I love the combination of a neutral slightly smokey eye with red lips. It is really glam and really easy to create.

Totally ignore the fact that my bangs are green >_<"


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

EOTD: Spring Smokey Eye (Ft. Wet n Wild)

Greetings from the Dark Side~

Quickly, I want to share with you the look I wore today! This is also my first time using the new Wet n Wild palettes that I bought recently~ I wanted to do something with the mint green that was smokey and not too bright. This seems like a perfect spring smokey eye, if that even makes sense xD


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

First Impression: Wet n Wild Spring 2013 Coloricon Palettes

 Greetings from the Dark Side!
 Wet n Wild always makes a buzz in the makeup community when they release limited edition products. I also went a bit crazy and tracked these two new spring palettes down. I finally managed to find them at CVS! Woohoo! Keep reading for my first impression and for swatches ^_^


Monday, April 1, 2013

Review: Flower Cosmetics 'Foxy Browns' Eyeshadow Quad

Greetings from the Dark Side!~

Here is the climactic end to the Flower Cosmetics quad reviews. If you read the reviews for the 'Blue Lagoons' and 'Smoke and Mirrors' quads, you know that I really disliked both of them. Will 'Foxy Browns' be better? Or, will is be equally as terrible? Read more to find out ^_~


Urban Outfitters 'Mystic' Nail Lacquer

Greetings from the Dark Side!

I recently received a few Urban Outfitter polishes from a friend of mine, and I wanted to share swatches for the one in the color 'Mystic'. This color caught my eye because it looks very similar to Deborah Lippmann's 'Ray of Light'. UO nail polishes retail for $5 while a DL nail polish is a whopping $18. Are they dupes? Read more to find out!