FOTD: OCC 'Beta' and 'Starling' Lip Tars

Greetings from the Dark Side~

If you have been reading my most recent posts, you might see that I have hauled quite a number of new products. And I haven't even shown you my Black Friday/Cyber Monday hauls yet (I want to wait until I get ALL of my purchases before I blog about them). Because of all that, I have many new products to try and to review. I was the most excited about trying out the OCC Lip Tars, so I want to show you how I used both of the colors I purchased: Beta and Starling.

I kept the eye makeup very neutral and quite simple. I am wearing colors from the Wet n Wild 'Vanity' Palette, liquid liner, and mascara.

BETA

Shiro Wednesdays: Chimera

Happy Wednesday everyone! How are you enjoying this week?

As I mentioned before, I want to dedicate Wednesdays to Shiro Cosmetics because, well...they are just awesome! I have a lot of Shiro eyeshadows so it seems only right to share how I use them!

Today's look is inspired by the Shiro eyeshadow in 'Chimera' from the Full Metal Alchemist collection. FMA is one of my all-time favorite anime and this eyeshadow brought back a lot of memories. Very sad ones...Poor Nina! If you have watched it you know what I mean. Seriously...saddest moment ever. So I want to dedicate this to Nina's Chimera form~

Chimera/Nina from FMA. Not my Image!

First Impression: Illamasqua Mystery Box

Greetings!

As many of you wanted to see a post on the Illamasqua Mystery Box, I decided to go ahead and do a First Impression post about it. This box is available on Sephora for $60. It comes with 10 full sized products, including Fable Lipstick and Jo'mina nail varnish. The other 8 products are random. Although you will know that you will get 1 cream blush, one more lipstick, one liquid metal, one cream eyeshadow, two medium pencils, one sheer lip gloss, and one intense lip gloss.

This is such an amazing deal! Although, I was afraid to get it because I already own numerous Illamasqua products and I didn't want to get repeats. I did end up with one repeat, the Enrapture Liquid Metal. I will be giving this away, but more on that later~

Here is my box and what I received in the Mystery Selection.

 

Review: Pumpkin & Poppy One Ring Collection Powder Eyeshadows

Greetings from the Dark Side~

Pumpkin & Poppy's One Ring collection consists of two cream eyeshadows, one lipstick, one cream highlighter, a solid perfume, and five powder eyeshadows.

Price and Availability

You can find these eyeshadows on the Pumpkin & Poppy store.

You can get the entire collection for $58 or buy the individual eyeshadows.

Haul: Sephora VIB Sale

Hello everyone~

Every year I look forward to the Sephora VIB 20% off sale. I wasn't expecting to buy anything this year, but I received a gift card to Sephora for my 21st birthday this year so I took advantage of that :)
I didn't go too crazy, but I did pick up a couple of things.

1. Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Pure Opal
I am sad to see that Tarina Tarantino is being taken off Sephora. I liked the products and I thought the packaging was so cute. I took advantage of this sale to pick up one last product from the line. This is a sparkly dust in an opal white color. I am  not sure how I will use this yet, but it is really pretty!

FOTD: Tequila Sunrise (Ft. Mon Ennui Cosmetics)

Hello my lovely readers!

Who says that orange is only for the sunny days? Brighten up your days with a nice Tequila Sunrise! And no, I don't mean the alcoholic beverage, but this fabulous eye look using Mon Ennui Cosmetic :)

Review: Lioele Secret Pore Rich Balm

Do you remember my first impression for this product? If not you can check it out HERE.

That first impression was over a month ago, and I have finally have a solid opinion about this supposed pore-perfecting balm.

Price and Availability 

$29.99 for a 20ml jar or $7.99 for a 5ml jar. You can find these at www.lioeletexas.com

Packaging

This, like most of Lioele products, has really cute packaging.
The pink jar comes in a pink box :D So cute!

Anime FOTD: Konan

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Something that you probably already know about me is that I am a huge geek. Yup. I love sci-fi and fantasy, but I am also a huge fan of anime and manga. I spent this weekend re-watching a lot of anime, but in particular I was re-reading some chapters from the Naruto manga. Whether you like Naruto or not is up to you. I, though am a huge fan of the manga and have been following it for 9 years! It seems crazy to realize it has been that long. One of my favorite characters from the series is Konan.
I think she looks totally badass and she was just a really cool character. I was inspired by her overall look and created a simple look for myself. In the anime, she has a purple eyeshadow and very defined outer lashes. In the anime, she has a much softer look, which is the look that inspired me the most.

Review: Pumpkin & Poppy 'Lockbearer' and 'My Precious' Cream Eyeshadows

Greetings from the Dark Side!

I am completely obsessed with the Pumpkin & Poppy One Ring collection, so I want to share with you the two cream eyeshadows from the collection, 'Lockbearer' and 'My Precious'.

                                                                       Price and Availability                                                      

$8 for each product or $58 for the entire collection.

You can find these products on the P&P artfire store.

                                                                     Packaging and Colors                                                        

 Each cream eyeshadow is pakaged in a small, slim compact that comes with its own mirror! How convenient is that? 

Lockbearer: copper/bronze in a metallic finish. Inspired by Gimli, the lovable dwarf!

My Precious: an antique, metallic gold. Inspired by the One Ring. I love the name. Can't say it without thinking of Gollum's voice.."My preciouuuuus"~

Review: Pumpkin & Poppy 'Lady of Light' Cream Highlighter

Greetings from the Dark Side!

What is your stance on face highlighters? I can honestly say that I only started to use highlighters about a year ago. Before then, I did not understand what all the fuss about highlighting the face was. Then I discovered some amazing highlighters, in particular the Estee Lauder Modern Mercury highlighter that was highly raved about. After that, I was bombarded with an array of highlighters and it was hard to only pick one! I have acquired a few more highlighters since then, my most recent being the Pumpkin & Poppy 'Lady of Light' cream highlighter from the One Ring collection.  If you are interested in knowing more about this indie and vegan face illuminator, then stick around!

EOTD: Gold and Silver

Hello!

Since I am in quite a hurry today, I will just shut up and quickly show you my very simple EOTD.

Products Used

-Mon Ennui 'Dalek' Eyeshadow

-Milani Liquif'Eye Black and Silver eyeliners

-Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara

EOTD

 

As you can see, this is a pretty simple but still interesting way to do your makeup.
It is fun for everyday or for a night out :D I really like the contrast of the gold and the silver~ I hope you like it too!

Thanks for reading ♥ 

And until next time!

The Lipstick Compendium: Illamasqua 'Boost' Intense Lip Gloss

Greetings from the Dark Side.

This is such an overdue review, but I completely forgot to review the Illamasqua Generation Q Collection. This collection included the lip gloss in 'Boost', which is a lip gloss form of the lipstick in 'Underworld'. 'Underworld' is by far my favorite lipstick from Illamasuqa, so I just had to try this lip gloss!

                                                                     Price and Availability                                                     

This is available on Illamasqua stores and website (£14) and also at Sephora ($22).

A Song of Ice and Fire Series: White Walkers

Greetings from the Dark Side :D I want to greet all my new followers! Thank you for joining my little corner of the internet~!

Here's another A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) inspired look. This is not a House looks, but rather it is inspired by the White Walker (or Others, as they are also called).

This is not my image. Found through Google Images.

First Impression: Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9

Greetings from the Dark Side!

As some of you may know, I have been struggling with my skin for a long time. I have combination skin that can range from very dry and flaky, to somewhat oily, and to extremely acne-prone. What is even more frustrating is that my skin gets used to products very quickly and those products become ineffective to help my skin problems. I have found that rotating my skin care between different products gives me a better result. Because of this, I looked into finding a new skin care product that I could incorporate into my routine.

From a few Youtube gurus I heard about the Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9. I have heard many rave reviews about Paula's Choice skin care so I thought I would give this product a try. I t was convenient that Paula's Choice gives you the option to buy sample sizes of products. I decided to buy two sample sizes of the Resist BHA 9 to see how my skin would react to it.

                                                                 Product's 9 Claims                                                               

  

"RESIST BHA 9 is a first-of-its-kind spot treatment specially formulated to address your most stubborn skin imperfections. The technology behind BHA 9 is indeed unique, allowing for a controlled, sustained release of salicylic acid without diminishing any of its effectiveness. 

In fact, you will have enhanced results without dryness or irritation!" -Paula's Choice\

This product claims to:
 

Unclog pores with the first use Diminish white bumps Minimize enlarged pores Smooth wrinkles Minimize sebaceous hyperplasia Smooth and soften dry, rough patches Help balance oily skin Fade red marks from breakouts Reduce breakouts

                                                                 My First Impression                                                               

After using this product three times in a row at night time, I have noticed a couple of things.

1. Firstly, within the first use, I noticed that it does in fact "smooth and soften, dry, rough patches" as one of the 9 claims says. I have very dry skin around my cheeks and chin area. I also have dry spots because of breakouts I get. I noticed right away the next day that I didn't have any of those dry patches. This was even more evident when I applied my foundation. Usually within a few hours of having applied foundation, I start to see that those dry patches really stand out.I have not seen that since I started using this product.

2. The other thing I noticed is a clear "unclogging of pores" and minimization of "enlarged pores". I have very visible pores on my nose, around my nose, and on my chin. I don't know if this products only helps to minimize pores if you keep using it, or if once you stop using it the pores will enlarge again. But, just with three uses, I have noticed a huge difference in my pores. Foundation applies so much smoother over those pores too!

3. The product is very different from any other skin care product I have ever used. It is not a serum, rather it has an oilier texture. It is difficult to spread on the skin, so I find it easier to pat it on my skin with my fingertips, and then gently massage it in.

4. One sample size seems to be for about 4-5 uses. I actually already purchased the full size!

I will have to keep an eye out to see how this products continues to work on my skin. I hope this will help with breakouts and scarring!!

Have you used the Resist BHA 9? Or any other Paula's Choice product?

Unbound Fridays: Dragonborn

Greetings from the Dark Side :)

Are any of you Skyrim players? I have been obsessed with Skyrim since it came out and I am super excited about the Dragonborn DLC~! In light of that upcoming DLC, I made a look inspired by the Dragonborn using Unbound Eden Cosmetics~ UEC has an Elder Scrolls collections if you did not know :D

FOTD: One Ring To Rule Them All (Ft. Pumpikin & Poppy)

Greetings from the Dark Side!

Are there any Tolkien fans out there? Excited for The Hobbit? I sure am!!! I have been re-reading The Hobbit in anticipation for the upcoming film~ :) And to celebrate further, I want to post this look using the One Ring collection by Pumpkin & Poppy. I call it "One Ring To Rule Them All". I could not resist that tittle xD Putting my nerdiness aside, let me get onto the tutorial!

Indie Haul: Pumpkin & Poppy and Mon Ennui

 Greetings my Dark Siders,


Yes, it is haul time! I was doing really great at not buying any stuff during October, but I broke down and I went on a little indie makeup shopping spree. Indie makeup is by far my favorite type of makeup. It tends to be much more affordable than any other type of makeup and you can find some great and unique products! Most indie brands are also cruelty free, vegan, and handmade. And added plus is that you can support smaller businesses and have a much more friendly shopping experience! If you have not tried any indie makeup brands, I highly recommend that you do :D

                                                       Pumpkin & Poppy - One Ring Collection                           

Here is a little fact about me: I am a huge Lord of the Rings nerd! Not just LotR, I love everything written by J.R.R. Tolkien. When I heard of this collection by the brand Pumpkin & Poppy, I knew I had to get it. It is also a great opportunity to try out a new brand. The collection comes with five loose eyeshadows, two cream eyeshadows, one cream highlighter, one lipstick, and one solid perfume. Swatches and review will be coming soon :D I can say right now that P&P did a really amazing job at capturing the color inspirations from LotR!

powder eyeshadows

cream eyeshadows

cream highlighter

Lipstick

Solid perfume

                                                                          Mon Ennui Cosmetics                                                  

Mon Ennui recently had a Halloween sale and I took the opportunity to try out their products. I have never tried Mon Ennui before, but I was very curious to try them out for myself. I was especially drawn to their Doctor Who inspired eyeshadows (TARDIS and Dalek). Wow this post is just incredibly nerdy! I also ended up getting Tequila Sunrise and Mangosteen Dragon, both of which are orange colors. I am exited to try them out!

I will definitely have some review posts and looks with these new products =3 

Be a little patient with me! I have not felt well for the past week and I have been really busy with midterms. I will try to get some of these up ASAP!

Review: Lioele Super Gold Snail BB Cream

Greetings from the Dark Side!

After using the Lioele Super Gold BB Cream almost everyday since I got it, I am finally ready to share with all of you a formal review of it. So stick around if you want to find out what I think of it~

                                                                  Price and Availability                                                           

$32.99 on the Lioele Texas website.

                                                                           Packaging                                                                      

This BB cream comes in a sleek gold bottle. The bottle is very sturdy and super convenient when doing your makeup. This is one of the better BB cream packaging I have seen. I did have one problem with it when I first opened it: the pump was not working very well. I had to press on the pump for a while before it actually started working. It was a little annoying, but I haven't had problems with the pump since that time. 

Return of the Look: The Light at the End of the Tunnel (Ft. Wet n Wild)

Greetings from the Dark Side!

In case you didn't know, my "Return of the Look" series is a series where I go back to my older looks and re-create them again either a bit differently, or with different products. That being said, do you remember this look? You can see the original post HERE. It is one of the looks that is on the header of my blog (the top left one) and I constantly receive questions about it. I have also received requests to re-do this look with different products and with more gold than black. I want to give a quick shout out to Sonia from Red Lips, Black Hair who was the first to request this look! I hope you like it :)

This rendition is actually very quick (took me 5 minutes for both eyes), uses minimal products, and is affordable to re-create yourself.